The next time you see someone puffing on a cigarette in the workplace, you might think twice before complaining. A relatively new product called the electronic cigarette has offered smokers a solution to the many smoking bans that are sweeping across the nation and changing the lives of smokers as well.
You may be asking ‘exactly what is an electronic cigarette’?
No tobacco at all is in an electronic cigarette. Rather, different flavors, optional nicotine, propylene glycol and water are delivered via a battery operated device. The.
The product itself looks just like a traditional cigarette. When a puff is taken from the electronic cigarette an LED light even lights up. The water and propylene glycol combines to create a smoke or “vapor” that looks and feels much like the real thing.
Another benefit of the electronic cigarette is the fact that the refill cartridges come in a variety of nicotine strengths, allowing the user to slowly work their way down from regular strength to zero nicotine, should they so desire. Though it should be noted that most electronic cigarettes are not marketed as smoking cessation products, and the FDA does not allow the manufacturers to make such claims without proper testing or an FDA approval.
While the starter kits cost considerably more than a traditional cigarette, the refill cartridges can lead to significant savings for the regular smoker. Typically a refill cartridge is equivalent to half of a pack of traditional cigarettes however each refill is only approximately two dollars, which given the ever increasing price of tobacco, is significantly cheaper.
So is the electronic cigarette really a safer alternative to tobacco? Well, the jury is still out as further studies probably need to be done, however compared to the thousands of additives and toxins found in tobacco cigarettes; it’s hard to believe the e-cigarette is not a better alternative to smoking
